Intrigued by an Irish language memorial near his home that is dedicated to a republican militant assassinated in the Irish Civil War, he began researching the period surrounding Irish independence and partition in 1916-23 in 2006. He is particularly interested in the specifics of this often murky period in Dublin.

comprehensive, but also succinct, accessible and well-organised. His approach is straightforward, his writing direct and factual, the analysis balanced and sensible. He does not allow an overdose of detail to get in the way of narrative drive. Yet while not overly complex, his account is not simplistic.

There will be many books on the Irish independence movement in the run-up to the 1916 centenary, and beyond, but it would be hard to do better than this as a succinct and clear assessment of the events and forces of those years.

He lives in Dublin, speaks Spanish to a reasonable standard and has a keen interest in the Spanish speaking world. Apart from history, he enjoys sport, especially cycling and football. He is a supporter of Shamrock Rovers FC.